Wireless devices can access a wireless wide area network (“WWAN”) for voice or data services. Depending on the type of WWAN, various different types of connections might be used to provide the wireless devices with access to the WWAN. For example, in a third generation (“3G”) code division multiple access (“CDMA”) network, an access point for the WWAN might establish a circuit switched connection with a wireless device. As such, dedicated uplink (i.e., from the wireless device to the access point) and downlink (i.e., from the access point to the wireless device) channels are established for the connection.
A circuit switched connection is typically limited by the downlink channel (also referred to as the forward channel) rather than the uplink channel (also referred to as the reverse channel). That is, in a typical connection with a WWAN, on average more data is transmitted from the access point to the wireless device than is transmitted from the wireless device to the access point. This unequal utilization of the uplink and downlink channels might therefore result in an inefficient usage of the WWAN's resources.
As an alternative to a circuit switched connection, the access point might establish a packet switched connection with a wireless device. In a packet switched connection, a wireless device and the access point might communicate via shared packet data channels rather than dedicated circuit switched channels. In a 3G CDMA network, for example, a packet switched connection might be a data connection for sending data, or alternatively it might be used for sending voice, such as by using Voice over Internet Protocol (“VoIP”) or other such packet backed voice protocols.
Although packet switched connections are obtaining increasingly greater data rates (e.g., 144 kb/s or 3.1 Mb/s in current 3G networks), there still are limitations to using packet switched connections. For example, the noise rise over thermal on the reverse channel of a packet switched connection limits the total number of VoIP users that an access point might be able to support at the same time. Thus, where circuit switched connections might generally be limited by the downlink channels, packet switched connections might generally be limited by the uplink channels. Additionally, the traditional power control methods used for circuit switched connections are not as effective in obtaining an optimal utilization of WWAN resources when they are applied to wireless devices in packet switched connections.
Therefore, there exists a need for improved systems and methods of access and control in wireless wide area networks.